It isn’t accurate to say that the Houston Texans’ 38-24 loss to the Denver Broncos Sunday at NRG Stadium was as equal in magnitude as their 28-22 win over the New England Patriots the week before on a national stage.
However, it is accurate to say that the Texans didn’t handle well the success that came with beating the best team in the AFC.
A win over two of the best in the game ever, coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady, with the Patriots at 10-1, would be enough to spark a winning streak that could get the Texans in the conversation of obtaining a first-round bye with a 12-4 finish.
Now, the Texans will be in the midst of a battle for the AFC South championship as they have two games with the pesky Tennessee Titans, who are 7-5 entering Week 14.
The Texans had success against rookie quarterbacks in the Bill O’Brien era with Romeo Crennel as defensive coordinator. Try a 12-1 record, including playoffs. However, Broncos quarterback Drew Lock played like anything but a rookie completing 22 passes on 27 attempts for 309 yards and three touchdowns. The second-round pick from Missouri earned the right to notch a crooked number in Crennel’s ledger against rookie quarterbacks while with Houston.
Denver was out of the playoffs with a 4-8 record. They had nothing to play for, and they should have been rolled over. Perhaps a little momentum went the Broncos’ way in pregame when outside linebacker Von Miller was declared active and Texans No. 2 wideout Will Fuller was deemed inactive with a hamstring injury. Nonetheless, a team that found a way to beat the best team in the conference should have found a way to beat a team fighting to not finish last in the AFC West.
The mantra after the 41-7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 11 was that they could quickly forget about it because they had a Thursday night encounter with the Indianapolis Colts. Houston responded with a 20-17 win that nullified the Colts’ tiebreaker over the Texans.
It seems that after a big win against New England, the sweetness lingered in the Texans’ mouths a little too long, and left them anesthetized and ripe for a beating from Denver.
Should the Texans beat the Titans in Week 15, it is possible it could happen again as Houston travels to Tampa Bay for a Week 16 tilt. If so, the Texans will have to be on guard as a slip up at that point could put even more pressure on their Week 17 rematch with Tennessee.
